


Simple Misconception

by StudentOfEtherium



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Crack-adjacent, F/F, Kaede is also cis but like. in the bad way, Tsumugi is cis, but not actually crack, shitty allyship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:41:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29668809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StudentOfEtherium/pseuds/StudentOfEtherium
Summary: Kaede found something in Tsumugi's room and now, without talking to her about it, she's sure she knows what it means. She doesn't.
Relationships: Akamatsu Kaede/Shirogane Tsumugi
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	Simple Misconception

It was a fairly normal day. Kaede was hanging out in Tsumugi's dorm room as the two chatted. Tsumugi's attention was zeroed in on the fabric in her hands. Scattered around her, and around the room, was an overwhelming amount of similar fabric in various states. Some were sewn together and others were scattered about. In the mess, Kaede was doing her best to organize, if only to give herself to move around. All the while, the pair made small talk, little more than idle chatter to pass the time together.

As Kaede was picking up some red fabric near Tsumugi's dresser, she noticed a sizable pile of clothes nearby. She rolled her eyes and groaned. “For the level of effort you put into your cosplays, I'd really think you would care more about your ordinary clothes.” Tsumugi shrugged. “Who cares about some wrinkles in a shirt or a skirt. I can throw those into the wash and they'll be fine.” Kaede rubbed the bridge of her eyes. “That's rich to hear from a girl who washes her cosplays with specialty soap by hand.” Tsumugi wagged a finger. “I have to put special care into my cosplays. Every little detail matters. Can't risk tears or discoloration.”

Kaede gave up on that front and started poking at the pile. She frowned, but turned away, returning to her task of clearing the cloth and fabric. That kept her busy for several more minutes, but eventually, she had done all she could without getting in Tsumugi's way. She turned back to face the busy seamstress. “Look, I don't like seeing that pile just sitting there. Even if you don't want to put it away, surely you won't mind if I put them away for you.”

Tsumugi shrugged. “Go ahead.” She didn't even look up from her work as she responded. Satisfied, Kaede turned back to the dresser and addressed the pile of clothes. “Alright! Let's do this!” She picked a skirt out of the pile and folded it, then opened the dresser’s drawers. She was disappointed to find that none of them had clothes in them. She picked a drawer from the middle and placed the folded inside. She repeated the process with a couple of shirts. Then, she reached into the pile to pick something out, then blushed. “Oh… Uh, hey, Mugi?” 

“Yeah?” The seamstress continued her work much as she had before. Kaede chewed her lip as she tried to find her words. “What do you want me to do with your, um, undergarments?” Finally, Tsumugi looked up to see Kaede holding a pair of her underwear. “Oh, I don't care. Put that wherever.” Kaede blushed. “Ju- Just like that?” Tsumugi turned back to her work and answered Kaede dismissively. “Yeah, don't see why you'd leave that out.”

“Oh, well, um. It's rather personal, isn't it?” Tsumugi let out an indifferent sound. “Is it? You've seen me wear it before. What's the issue now?”

Kaede sighed. “Nothing, sorry.” She folded the underwear and picked a drawer to put it in. She continued picking clothes out the pile for several more minutes, until eventually it was nearly clear. Only a few shirts and a skirt remained. Kaede picked up the skirt first, but as she folded the skirt, something caught her eye. She finished putting away the skirt and leaned over to pick the mystery object.

As she did, it became more clear what it was. It was a sports bra, which stood out. Kaede had just finished putting away Tsumugi's entire closet and in the entire pile, there hadn't been a single sports bra. As she examined it further, however, she had a realization. It wasn't the first time she had seen such a thing.

It was a binder.

“Uh, hey Mugi?” Tsumugi, clearly focused on her task, didn't look up, and only used a few words to address Kaede. “Yeah? What's up?” Kaede stared at the binder for a few seconds, before shaking her head. “Oh, nothing. Sorry.” Tsumugi gave no outward sign of acknowledgement as she continued her work. Kaede folded the binder quickly, then shoved it in the drawer alongside the underwear and bras. She quickly dealt with the rest of the clothes, then stood up. “I'm kinda hungry. Gonna run to the cafeteria to grab some lunch. Want me to bring you back something?” Tsumugi by this point was holding a needle between her teeth, rendering her unable to respond. After about a minute, she was able to clear her hands, remove the needle, and respond. “Oh, get me some takoyaki and gyoza. Not super hungry, but I'm in a snack mood.” Kaede nodded and started for the door. On her way out, she grabbed her purse.

As soon as she was in the hallway, she pulled out her phone and started texting a friend. <Hey Shuichi, can you send me a picture of your binder?> Before she got a response, she was already walking down the hall towards the exit. She felt her phone buzz as she left the building. <I'm kinda wearing it rn…> Kaede paused her journey to fire off a response. <And how long have you been wearing it?> A couple minutes and several hundred feet later, another reply came. <Fine. I took it off. Here's a picture.> Attached was an image of an object that looked remarkably similar to the one in Tsumugi's room. <Dude, I was just asking. But clearly it was already too long lol.> <Shut it.>

Kaede studied the picture Shuichi had sent her. As she began moving again, she kept the two images in her head, comparing them. Before long, she found herself in another large building, this one heavily crowded by several long lines and numerous scattered tables. Kaede found a place in one of them and pulled out her phone again.

<If you found a binder in your friend’s dresser, what would you think?>

<In this situation, why am I digging through a friend's dresser?>

<Answer the question, Saihara.>

<Sigh. Fine, I'd probably start wondering if they're trans, but I wouldn't say anything. If they're staying silent on the subject, then that's for a reason and I'll respect that.>

<Hmmm.>

<Are you thinking of ignoring my advice and bringing up the subject anyway?>

<Hmmmmm.>

<Sigh.>

<Hmmmmmmm.>

<If you're going to ignore my advice, can you at least tell me who it is you're talking about?>

<Gimme a sec to think this over.>

Kaede shoved her phone back in her purse. By now, she was at the front of the line. As she entered the kitchen area, she glanced around, trying to decide what to get herself. As she did, she walked across the room. She ordered Tsumugi's request and figured out an order for herself, then stepped back to wait.

<I'm not going to tell you who, but I'll give you a hint- Who that you know would I be going through the clothes of?>

<Oh, it's Tsumugi.>

<Did I make it that obvious???>

Kaede walked over to the counter and picked up her order. She grabbed the bag and headed off.

<Yeah, you did. Anyway, really?? Are you sure it wasn't a sports bra?>

<Fairly sure, yeah. Her entire closet was in a pile on the floor and I was putting it away and that's how I found the binder, so now I know for a fact that Tsumugi doesn't own sports bras.>

<Ah. Hm. Well, I can see why you think this a more pressing topic. Still, if, uh, she has already had this without telling you, then they must have a reason.>

<I'm sure she does, but I feel like if anyone, I should know.>

<So you told me.>

<Well, YEAH. I need to talk about this with someone.>

<Do you?>

<Yes! Anyway, gotta go.>

Kaede dropped her phone in her purse and opened the door to Tsumugi's dorm. “I'm back. You owe me dinner sometime.” Tsumugi looked up. “Oh, thanks! Don't worry, I'll pay on our next date.” She picked up the fabric on the table and moved it to the bed, then brushed away everything else onto the floor. Kaede rolled her eyes as she placed the bag on the table. She took out a number of boxes and handed two of them to Tsumugi. “As requested.” Tsumugi grabbed them out of her hands and opened them, then cooed. She started eating, which prompted Kaede to follow. After a few bites, however, the blonde spoke up. 

“Sooo… Anything new with you? Any changes recently?” Tsumugi shrugged. “Not really. It's off season for cons, so I'm just preparing everything I'll want to wear during the next year. I've been enjoying anime this season, but nothing has made a big impression on me, unfortunately. All the big sequels start next season and the adaptations I'm looking forw-” Kaede cut her off. “Well, what about anything more… Personal? How have you been doing?” Tsumugi, who was already popping a takoyaki ball in her mouth, gave an indifferent stare. After chewing and swallowing, she replied, “Well, not really? I'm curious why you're asking, honestly.” Kaede bit her lip and glanced away. “Oh, well… Just want to know how you're doing, you know?” Tsumugi smiled. “Thanks.”

“I'm bisexual, for the record.”

“Um. Y-yeah. I know. You've told me before. I don’t mind.” Tsumugi side-eyed Kaede as she popped another takoyaki ball in. She chewed quickly and continued, “What brings that up out of nowhere?”

Kaede fidgeted. “Oh, well… y’know? I'm fine with whatever. I'll be here for you no matter what.”

Tsumugi blinked. “Wha…” She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “Kaede, what the fuck are you on about?” Kaede's eyes flickered between holding Tsumugi's gaze and looking down at the floor. “Well…” She sighed. “I'm sure you would've preferred to tell me yourself.”

Tsumugi's forehead wrinkled as she tried to parse Kaede's meaning. She started rubbing the bridge of her eyes and sighed, before responding, “What are you talking about? I have no idea what any of this means. Please explain.” Kaede shifted awkwardly. “Well… I, um. I found your binder. I’m sure you would have preferred to tell me yourself, but…” She smiled. “I just want you to know I support you.”

Tsumugi looked up, glancing over her fingers as she continued rubbing the bridge of her eyes. She groaned deeply, then reached over and picked up a prop sword from nearby. She reached over and hit Kaede on the head with it. Kaede’s hands shot to where she was hit. “Owe! W-what was that for?” As Tsumugi put the prop back where she had grabbed it from, she sighed. “I use that binder for cosplay. Stop jumping to conclusions.” Kaede shook her head. “Wait-”

“I’m not trans. You just thought I was.”

Kaede blushed a little. Slowly, the blush grew deeper. Tsumugi picked up on the cue. “Who did you tell?” Kaede hung her head defeatedly. “Shuichi. Was asking him for advice.” Tsumugi nodded and pulled out her phone.

<hey please disregard everything Kaede told you. she's a dumbass>

She put her phone away and turned back to Kaede. “Is that it?” Kaede nodded. “Yeah. I didn't want to out you to anyone.”

“But you still told Shuichi?”

“Well… I figured that would be fine.” Tsumugi returned to rubbing the bridge of her eyes. “Kaede, you're a dumbass. I love you, but you're a dumbass.” She closed the takoyaki box and pushed it to the side. “You know? I think I’ve been working here long enough. I deserve a break.” She stood up and stretched as Kaede shifted awkwardly. “So, uh. Sorry?” Tsumugi shrugged. “Apology accepted.” Tsumugi walked to the door, then stopped. “You coming?” Kaede turned. “Oh, uh. Sure. Yeah. Uh, sorry, again.” Tsumugi sighed again, but it quickly turned into a small laugh. “Kaede, it’s fine. Dumbass.”

**Author's Note:**

> started this in early January, but never got around to finishing it cause i sorta stalled out on it, but after i finished writing my femslash february stuff i decided i should pick off some of my WIPs before starting new stuff (with this done, i have 19 left) so i wrote the ending for this hope it's fun :)
> 
> also this ties into my idea of Kaede as a person who tries really hard to be an ally, but always comes up short anyway. she has a lot of enthusiasm, but that doesn't quite take her far enough
> 
> also also i have no idea how to end stories lol


End file.
